The morning edition

Cabinet labels CAIR, Antifa and 90+ groups as terrorists. New licenses roll out. Panthers win opener in OT.

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Good Morning! William M. Burdine, who founded the department store that became Burdines — "The Florida Store" — was born on Sept. 30, 1843, in Monroe County, Miss. After the Great Freeze wrecked his citrus, he opened a dry-goods shop in Bartow and in 1898 moved the business to young Miami, where soldiers, railroad workers and Seminole customers filled the shelves. By the time Federated folded the brand into Macy's in 2005, Burdines had been Florida's signature department store for more than a century.

In This Issue: the Cabinet's vote labeling CAIR, antifa and 90+ groups as terrorists, Florida's redesigned driver licenses rolling out Wednesday, the Wednesday deadline to clear ALPRs off state roads, and Florida's 16th lethal injection of 2026.

Weather: Wednesday stays mostly sunny across the Panhandle while the peninsula sees partly sunny skies and afternoon storm chances, heaviest toward Southwest Florida, South Florida and the Keys. Highs are mid-80s to near 91° in Tallahassee. (NWS)

Tropical: No Florida tropical watches or warnings. NHC’s 8 p.m. Tuesday outlook is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Hanna well east of Bermuda, has issued a final advisory on Post-Tropical Cyclone Fay over the central subtropical Atlantic, and expects no tropical cyclone formation over the next seven days. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Wednesday on the Atlantic from Palm Beach through Miami-Dade. Moderate risk from Nassau County through Martin County, and along Northwest Florida beaches including Pensacola–Okaloosa, South Walton, Bay, Gulf and Franklin. Low along the Gulf coast from Levy through Collier. (NWS)

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DeSantis and Cabinet Label CAIR, Antifa and 90+ Groups as Terrorists; Legal Challenge Coming

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday voted with little public comment to designate more than 90 organizations as terrorist groups under HB 1471, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Brotherhood, antifa, Tren de Aragua, Mexican cartels and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The designations take effect Nov. 5 and can cut off state contracts, campus funding and K-12 scholarship money tied to listed groups (WUSF).

The ACLU's Hina Shamsi said CAIR-Florida will seek a preliminary injunction Thursday in Tallahassee federal court, arguing there is no allegation CAIR committed violence under Florida or U.S. law; Attorney General James Uthmeier said supporting listed groups is a felony and students who "promote" them can be expelled (NBC 6).

New Florida Driver Licenses Roll Out Wednesday With Gator, Manatee and Shuttle Discovery

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30, FLHSMV starts issuing redesigned driver licenses and ID cards at service centers statewide — Castillo de San Marcos as the front background, an orange as the "O" in Florida, a manatee, an alligator inside the REAL ID star, Space Shuttle Discovery on the back, and the old "Let Us Alone" motto. Existing cards stay valid until they expire; online orders of the new design open via MyDMV Portal by early November (NBC 6).

Gov. DeSantis announced the redesign at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting; FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner said the update adds security features on top of the last major redesign that nearly doubled fraud protections (FLHSMV).

Wednesday Deadline: Law Enforcement Must Clear ALPRs Off Florida State Roads

Agencies statewide face a Wednesday night deadline to remove automatic license-plate readers from FDOT rights-of-way after the department revoked permits about a month ago and gave local departments 30 days to comply. In Jacksonville, some Flock Safety units on Atlantic Boulevard are wrapped and covered but still standing; Sheriff T.K. Waters said JSO stopped using LPRs countywide and that hardware removal is on the equipment owners (Action News Jax).

Florida Executes Curtis Beasley, 77 — State's 16th Lethal Injection of 2026

Florida carried out the lethal injection of Curtis Wilkie Beasley Sr. on Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison for the 1995 Polk County murder of Carolyn Monfort. Beasley, 77, became the state's 16th person executed in 2026 after courts rejected last-minute appeals citing age and cognitive decline; advocates noted his death sentence came on a non-unanimous jury vote (Tampa Free Press).

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❖ North Miami Beach: Fortune International Group and Blue Road announced completion of Nexo Residences, a 16-story, 254-unit short-term-rental condo at 13899 Biscayne Blvd. with a temporary certificate of occupancy and pricing from the mid-$600,000s (Florida YIMBY).

❖ Fort Lauderdale: History Fort Lauderdale's free "Viva Fort Lauderdale: Celebrating Hispanic Art & Culture" exhibit is open at the New River Inn through Oct. 25, featuring artists-in-residence and Norman Silva sculptures (FTL Review).

❖ Riviera Beach: Safe Harbor Rybovich opened a 44,054-square-foot Trade Building at 157 E. 22nd St., part of an expansion that nearly doubles hauling capacity for yachts up to 250 feet (Florida YIMBY).

❖ Tampa: Pendry Tampa, the 38-story hotel-condo on the Riverwalk at Ashley and Whiting, is nearing a reported Oct. 9 topping-out with about 75% of condos sold and a 2027 opening target (Florida YIMBY).

❖ Orlando: Orlando Science Center opened "Extreme Sports: Beyond Human Limits," presented by Nemours Children's Health, on Sept. 27 at Loch Haven Park, with climbing, virtual flight and parkour zones through Jan. 3, 2027 (Orlando Shine).

❖ Jacksonville: The first JAX Recovery Festival is scheduled Saturday at Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park, a community event focused on addiction recovery and support (Action News Jax).

❖ Niceville: The city set a public Oct. 6 grand opening for the Old Town Landing Dock and Pier, the first finished piece of the Niceville Landing Rehabilitation Project (Get the Coast).

❖ Crestview: The Eglin Federal Credit Union Arts and Education Center is open at 189 N. Main St. downtown — a 3,000-square-foot hub for arts, STEM and tutoring, weekdays 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (Get the Coast).

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❖ The Florida Department of Education said it is conducting a "comprehensive rewrite" of K-12 science standards to emphasize "knowledge, evidence, inquiry, reason, and virtue — NOT ideology," and opened a Science Standards Listening Tour this week (Hillsborough Sept. 29, virtual Sept. 30, Walton Oct. 5). Commissioner Henry Mack urged the public to "help restore the discipline" (News 6).

❖ A month from the Nov. 3 election, Democrat David Jolly is pitching an expanded state-backed Hurricane Catastrophe Fund so private insurers no longer price wind risk into homeowners policies, while Republican Byron Donalds favors reforming My Safe Florida Home, an "Insurer's Scoreboard," and staying inside the current market framework; former Sen. Jeff Brandes told WCTV Donalds' path is likely cheaper for premiums (WCTV).

❖ FOX 13 reports Jolly wants a one-year statewide moratorium on new data centers (with a possible permanent ban after environmental study), while Donalds opposes state bans, backs local control and existing ratepayer-protection law, and has floated small modular reactors on solar-array footprints (FOX 13).

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❖ Florida's hourly minimum wage rises from $14 to $15 on Sept. 30 — the final scheduled $1 bump under the 2020 constitutional amendment — while the required cash wage for tipped workers climbs to $11.98 (tips covering the remaining $3.02); restaurant groups warn of menu hikes and fewer hours, and workers gain about $40 a week before taxes at 40 hours. Cape Coral roadhouse owner Jay Johnson told WINK his Reuben has already climbed from $9.99 in 2020 to $11.99 and that he runs with fewer employees; after $15, the state rate indexes annually to inflation (FOX 13; WINK).

❖ The University of Florida's Florida Consumer Sentiment Index rose 0.3 points to 67.7 in September from a revised 67.4 in August — the first uptick after six straight declines — even as views of current finances and major-purchase timing worsened and future expectations improved (733 cellphone respondents Aug. 1–Sept. 24) (News4Jax).

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Panthers Spoil Hurricanes' Banner Night, 1-0 in OT on Forsling's Late Winner

Gustav Forsling one-timed a Carter Verhaeghe feed with 4.3 seconds left in overtime, and Jacob Markstrom stopped all 15 shots as the Florida Panthers opened 2026-27 with a 1-0 win at Carolina on the night the Hurricanes raised their Stanley Cup banner. Brady Tkachuk debuted for Florida; Aleksander Barkov returned after missing all of 2025-26 (NHL.com).

Bucs Corner Zyon McCollum Among NFL's Stingiest Entering Packers Week

Team numbers heading into Sunday's home date with Green Bay (1 p.m., FOX) highlight CB Zyon McCollum's coverage (ninth among corners with 20+ coverage snaps in yards allowed per target per PFF cutups cited by the club) and a run defense still ranking near the top of the league after Minnesota managed just 230 yards in Tampa Bay's 0-3 start (Buccaneers.com).

Jaguars Sit Alone Atop the AFC South After 35-6 Patriots Win

Jacksonville is 2-1 and leads the AFC South by a game after routing Super Bowl–recent New England 35-6 at EverBank Stadium, part of a 15-6 stretch under the Boselli–Gladstone–Coen football ops group, per the club's O-Zone (Jaguars.com).

Dolphins' Young Core Logged 612 Snaps in Loss at Kansas City

Miami's first- and second-year players combined for 612 snaps and 10 of 22 starters in Sunday's 24-10 defeat at the Chiefs, with rookie WR Odell Bell posting career highs (4 catches, 67 yards) in a game the Dolphins still trailed by only four entering the fourth — club "Inside the Numbers" (MiamiDolphins.com).

Scoreboard

Tue Sep 29 — Panthers 1, Hurricanes 0 (OT) FINAL at Lenovo Center (Forsling OT GWG; Markstrom 15-save shutout). No other Florida pro games Tuesday (MLB Wild Card elsewhere; NFL idle).

Schedule

Lightning at Rangers — Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+ / The Spot

Panthers at Sharks — Thursday, Oct. 1, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ / Scripps Sports

UCF at Houston — Saturday, Oct. 3, noon ET, ESPN2

Florida at Missouri — Saturday, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Virginia at Florida State — Saturday, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Texas Southern at FAU — Saturday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Capitals at Lightning — Saturday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+ / The Spot

Miami at Clemson — Saturday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Temple at USF — Saturday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ALDS Game 1 — Yankees/Red Sox winner at Rays — Saturday, Oct. 3, time TBA, TBS/truTV

Packers at Buccaneers — Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

Jaguars at Bengals — Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Dolphins at Vikings — Sunday, Oct. 4, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX

Panthers at Ducks — Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. ET, Scripps Sports

More Scores: NFL | MLB | NHL | NCAAF | WNBA

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Florida regular averaged $4.299 a gallon Tuesday (AAA, as of 9/29/26). That is down about 4.5 cents from Monday ($4.344) but up about 5.7 cents from a week ago ($4.242), and roughly 15.7 cents under the national average of $4.456. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at $4.454 (Naples $4.429). Pensacola is the cheapest at $4.042 (Panama City $4.045).

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❖ Wakulla: Deputy Joens answered a 7:30 p.m. call about a fawn stuck under a dock, waded into Ochlockonee Bay, and returned the animal to safe ground with its mother — "Not a call you practice in the academy," the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office posted (WCTV, Sep 25).

❖ Immokalee: Immokalee Fire Control District crews pulled two baby raccoons from a roof downspout during an afternoon storm and reunited them with their mother (WINK, Sep 24).

❖ Matlacha: On his birthday, Blue Dog Bar & Grill co-owner (and retired firefighter) John Lynch found a large male dolphin and a juvenile stranded on a Matlacha sandbar, stayed about 90 minutes keeping the adult hydrated with help from his wife Tammey until PIFD, LCSO and Manatee Rescue arrived, then helped ease the animal back into open water (Pine Island Eagle).

❖ Wildwood (Wakulla County): At Wildwood Resort and RV Park, employees used a management emergency key to enter an RV catching fire from an apparent electrical problem and rescued three dogs and two cats before the camper was engulfed (WTXL).

❖ Jacksonville: Luau, a rescue pug with hind-leg paralysis, has been moved to a Pug Rescue of Florida & Georgia foster home after an animal-services officer gifted her a custom wheelchair so she could get around on her own (Action News Jax, Sep 28).

Today’s Quote

"Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things."

— Epictetus

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning gibbous, about 81% illuminated Wednesday (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Wednesday, sunrise is at 7:18 a.m. and sunset at 7:12 p.m. EDT, for just under 12 hours of daylight (USNO). Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: UF/IFAS’s South Florida Gardening Calendar says September is a good time to refresh summer beds with scarlet sage, coleus, pentas, celosia, mandevilla and wax begonia for color into fall. It also says to plant early-fall herbs such as Mexican tarragon, mint, rosemary and basil, and that September opens the door for more vegetables.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s latest update (Sept. 25) found the red tide organism at very low levels in Gulf County and at background levels in Charlotte and Lee counties and offshore of Monroe County, with none on the East Coast. No related fish kills or respiratory irritation were reported. The next report is due Oct. 2.

Florida by the Numbers

In 2024, Florida accounted for 18% of U.S. floriculture sales by value — about $1.21 billion — according to USDA figures cited by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Today’s Poll

Florida's Cabinet voted to designate CAIR, antifa and more than 90 other groups as terrorist organizations. Do you support that move?

Yesterday’s Results

Florida's attorney general wants a court to stop OpenAI from developing new AI models until independent safeguards are in place; do you support that move?

Strongly support 22% · Somewhat support 26% · Oppose 26% · Not sure 26%